1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device and method for imparting an oscillating or rocking motion to a carriage, perambulator, cot bed or the like, in particular for soothing a baby or infant therein.
It is well known that distressed and crying babies in a carriage, pram, cot or the like can be soothed by rocking. This is particularly so when the baby is in a wheeled carriage, which facilitates the application of a continuous rocking motion for a period of time to soothe the baby.
Conventionally, the rocking action is applied directly to the baby's carriage by the baby's parent or other carer. However, this procedure, although effective, is time consuming, physically demanding, and likely to be frustrating particularly having regard to the already frustrated state of mind which the carer may find triggered by the baby's continuous crying. The development of a mechanical device which the carer could therefore use to impart this rocking motion would clearly be beneficial.
2. Description of Related Art
Whilst a number of devices exist in more developed technical fields to impart oscillating motion to bodies contained therein, it is an overriding consideration for devices for use by the parents or other carer's of babies and young children that the devices should be of suitable scale, robust, and mechanically simple (both for ease of operation and to keep costs reasonable). In consequence, many known oscillating devices are likely to be unsuitable for this application.
A number of mechanical devices exist which impart horizontal, reciprocating oscillation to a baby carriage (for example UK Patent Application 2061836, 2191448 and 2145981). However, these fail to take advantage of the known soothing effect which can be attributed to at least some degree of vertical rocking motion.
An attempt to provide a device for importing a rocking motion including an up-and-down element to a baby carriage is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,144. In this device a drive motor drives torque converters which act on lifting cams to cause up and down motion of pistons, the pistons acting on a wheel receiving plate to produce a rocking motion on the pram wheels. Although this device produces an up and down motion, it is of considerable mechanical complexity, and is therefore inherently likely to be less robust and more expensive than would a simpler design.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,144 concentrates on up and down motion only, whereas in practice a combination of up and down and reciprocating motion, and in particular an orbital oscillation motion, has been shown to be effective. Attempts have been made to adapted reciprocating drive systems for use in conjunction with ramps (see for example UK patent 2 150 086) to give motion in both a vertical and horizontal sense, but these are cumbersome, and motion is still essentially linear rather than orbital.